The Greater Bay Area Sports Centre is being built in China. The complex was designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The complex of sports buildings will be the venue for the Chinese National Games this November. We are publishing photos that were taken in March this year and visualisations of the complex.
The Chinese National Games are the equivalent of the Olympic Games, but instead of countries, the country’s individual provinces compete. The event is held every four years, with the next edition scheduled for November 2025. The main arena for the championships, the Greater Bay Area Sports Centre, is almost complete.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Makau area, known as the Greater Bay Area, is the largest agglomeration in the world with a population expected to reach 100 million by 2030. Situated on the west bank of the historic Pearl River, in the southern part of the Nansha district of Ganjou, the sports centre is to form the foundation of a new residential and business district. This gives the project a unique significance not only for the local community, but also for the entire region, becoming a symbol of modern development.
The designed sports complex consists of several venues that can host not only sports competitions, but also cultural events. One of the key elements of the project is a stadium with a capacity of 60,000 spectators. The stadium has been designed to provide optimum conditions for observing sports competitions and cultural performances. Another facility is the sports hall, designed for indoor events. The hall can accommodate 20,000 people. The complex will also include an aquatic centre with a 50m pool and jumping platforms. The aquatic centre will accommodate 4,000 spectators. In addition, the development includes facilities for athletes, training fields and treadmills that will support local sports programmes.
March 2025 photo:
The design of the sports centre reflects a harmonious blend of modern technological solutions with elements of traditional Chinese culture. The buildings’ flowing forms reference the silhouettes of traditional Chinese sailing ships, which enabled global trade to develop on the Pearl River some 1,000 years ago. Drawing inspiration from Lingnan architecture, the design introduces solutions to provide natural cooling: a layered roof system (designed to protect the 60,000 spectators from the direct effects of rain and sun, while allowing natural air circulation), and vertical louvres and curved forms (these elements, developed using advanced 3D technology, optimise the effective shading of warm urban spaces and support natural cooling by incoming summer winds).
Photo from March 2025:
In addition, the grand arch in the stadium structure not only facilitates the flow of cooler air from the South China Sea, but also allows panoramic views of the enchanting coastal scenery, creating a unique combination of sport and nature.
Construction work on the sports centre began on 31 August 2023. The main structures – the stadium and the arena – reached their peak in February 2024, while roof and façade installations on the arena and aquatic centre were completed in February 2025. Currently, the facility is in the final phase of works, with delivery scheduled for June 2025.
source: Zaha Hadid Architects
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Photos from March 2025:
Visualisations:
